EV rapid charger guide

One of the most important considerations when looking at buying a plug-in car is charging time. For some drivers, their model needs to be capable of being rapid charged, which in most cases allows a top-up to around 80 per cent of the car’s range in 20-30 minutes – the fastest way to recharge your car.

However, a number of different manufacturers use varying types of charging connector so we have compiled a quick-glance guide below to which cars accept the main rapid charge types.

There are four common types of rapid charger in the UK, with CHAdeMO and CCS the most common, using an specially designed socket for each. There is also Rapid AC capability and Tesla’s Supercharger – both of which use the Type 2 connector but with higher kW ratings than conventional fast chargers for vehicles able to accept the increased load.

The Tesla Supercharger is only compatible for use with Tesla models as the unit ‘handshakes’ with the car to find out who is using it. However, because of the Type 2 port, Rapid AC charging is possible – it will just take longer to recharge as the Tesla battery packs are bigger.

Those looking at buying a plug-in car and plan on doing some long distance trips, it would be worth seeing which rapid charger types are on regular routes. Being able to top-up in around 20 minutes on long commutes, or cross-country trips to see family or friends could help sway your decision as to which EV you buy.

All rapid chargers come with a tethered cable so you don’t need to worry about which cables you have in your car, just which charge point you have pulled up to. You can filter on Zap-Map and the Zap-Map App by charging speed and connector type to make searching for your required charge point easier.